The Fall and Rise of the Alteran
by Nichiwwa
Summary: In another universe their choice may have been to Ascend or perhaps return to Terra and start afresh. So with that train of thought the most renowned scientists still among them came up with a daring plan; escape to another universe. Or the story where the Alteran finally grew a backbone.
1. Underneath the Waves

**The Fall and Rise of the Alteran**

Or How the Alteran People Finally Grew a Spine

Chapter One: Underneath the Waves

The Milky-Way Galaxy; arguably the most important galaxy inside the Virgo supercluster barrelled through the void of space, being pulled and pulling upon dozens of other galaxies locally known as well... the Local Group. Spanning a hundred thousand light years from arm to arm the Milky-Way held trillions upon trillions of stars, each holding there own collection of planets. Massive gas giants and water worlds to volcanic balls rock and lush tropical paradises. Many civilisations have and will call this sea of stars home, but none will ever reach the highest of heights or the lowest of lows quite like a race who called themselves the Alteran; or in there own language, simply the Others.

Having stumbled upon the Milky-Way galaxy - which they christened Avalon – after generations of desperate flight through the vast void from their own galaxy, the Alteran finally settled on a planet they named Dakara, providing the spark that ignited the growth of the largest empire to ever grace the Milky-Way.

Finally free from their oppressive home galaxy the Alteran set about expanding and growing as a people free of persecution and mindless genocide. And so, after almost fifty-five million years of culture, scientific exploration and experimentation the Alteran people were reaching their peak; except for one final hurdle.

Ascension.

As a people the Alteran wanted nothing more than to shed the need for a physical form and spend the rest of existence living as beings of pure energy and power. There had been countless cases of individuals across their empire who had achieved this ultimate feat, but at the cost of much of what made a sentient being feel alive.

For you see, the Alteran people believed that to achieve Ascension a person needed to rid themselves of attachment to the physical world, instead looking deeper into themselves and coming to peace with everything that they are. Both the good and bad were reflected upon and summarily discarded; their anger, curiosity, hate and passion. The reasoning behind this was rather pragmatic.

As physical beings they were subject to the whims of their own bodies, both the good and the bad. Emotions like curiosity and passion were what drove the Alteran people to such massive heights in science and culture, but when one shed their physical form and assumed their new existence as pure energy they only took their metaphysical mind, leaving behind the tangible chemical responses which fuelled their more extreme emotions.

The consequences of this transformation boiled down to a single debilitating but otherwise palatable thing: Apathy.

Now fast forward a few thousand years and the Alteran were getting the hang of mass Ascension, with entire planets dedicated to introspection and reflection, the main player being a small isolated world known as Kheb. But as the years went by the Alteran started to notice something strange.

As the Ascended became more and more numerous their interactions with the still physical part of their empire started to fall in frequency. The still mortal but very long-lived Alteran were non-plussed by this, as in their eyes they were all still ultimately Alteran regardless of form but as the years passed they noticed that the Ascended began to treat them with not quite disdain, but certainly with hesitance.

Now as you can imagine this didn't sit well on the collective conscience of the non-Ascended and they started asking pointed questions of their Ascended brethren; the answers they received changed their society forever.

It seemed that the Ascended no longer wished to interact with their fellow Alteran on what they now referred to as the lower planes, believing that as beings of extraordinary power, they shouldn't interfere with the development of any mortal race, seeing it as an abuse of their power and position.

Being an enlightened race the mortal Alteran begrudgingly understood the reasoning behind the distancing, it made sense as they could possibly cripple a society either culturally or physically. So they let the matter lie, resigning themselves for total communication cut off with their Ascended brethren.

Several thousand years of almost no contact with the Ascended saw the mortal Alteran decimated; worlds barren of all life, with only a single bastion of hope remaining. Atlantis, the jewel in the crown of the Alteran empire, employing heavy quarantine procedures backed up by the impenetrable shields had managed to stave off the impossible plague that had ripped through the galaxy in a matter of months. They discovered early on that the plague was in fact engineered by their distant and hostile kin the Ori, but they hadn't had any success in devising a cure.

Forced to either flee to Atlantis, Ascend or die painfully the Alteran were downtrodden and desperate. With their calls to their Ascended counterparts falling upon deaf ears the Alteran people were once again faced with a choice. Flee or die.

Blasting off from the surface of Terra the once again refugees of Atlantis headed out into the void between Avalon and its many neighbouring galaxies, dropping out of hyperspace only briefly to adjust heir heading before jumping back in the fabric of subspace, towards their intended new home of the Pegasus galaxy.

Located some three million light years from Avalon on the opposite side to the ancient Andromeda galaxy, Pegasus was classed as an irregular dwarf galaxy with roughly one hundred billion stars to call home.

Once again the Alteran people found a world on which to settle and did what they do best; build and explore the unknown.

Jump ahead five million years and the fate of the Alteran people had taken a turn for the desperate for the third time.

After seeding Pegasus with life and watching it grow the Alteran scientists discovered a unique situation. A colony of biologists that were studying the local fauna of their chosen world – specifically a rather long-lived insect known as the Iratus – had noticed that the Iratus, having fed upon a few unfortunate Alteran had started to display some interesting biological side effects.

Not only was their a fluid transfer of enzymes, blood and pain killers there was also a rather alarming transfer of DNA going both ways. The issue with this was not the Iratus somehow hybridizing into a more advanced life-form, but in fact it was the Alteran biologists who had been bitten multiple times over many years who had begun to show Iratus-like traits and behaviours. Along with behaviours not found in either species, namely aggression.

Being a people of thinkers and explorers the biologists continued their experiments into these new behaviours, against the warnings of the Alteran High Council. Years later, after continual cross-contamination of DNA the affected biologists could no longer call themselves Alteran. Pale of skin with sharp teeth and sensory pits across their face, the biologists had confined themselves to an isolated outpost far from any non-affected Alteran. Their only company being a large colony of Iratus.

The High Council of the Alteran people had by this point grown restless, nervous about what this essentially new species would become. Their aggressive behaviour and outright arrogance, along with their hive mentality that was growing more pronounced each day had forced the Council to come to a difficult decision. All Alteran have enough basic knowledge of engineering and space-flight technology to construct a space-worthy vessel easily, so when the Council received reports that the colony as a whole had gone dark they came to a regrettable consensus; the affected biologists, along with the rest of the colony needed to be eradicated.

Dispatching their newest class of warship – the Aurora class Battlecruiser – to the silent colony proved to be the correct course of action.

Using its powerful scanners the _Conclamatus_ soon discovered something terrible. The entire colony was in fact ruined. Strange organic-metallic material proceeded after craters all throughout the colony, painting a grim picture of death and destruction. Not wanting to risk their crew to biological contaminants the captain of the _Conclamatus_ ordered the surface be bombarded to ensure no more survivors managed to escape; for they had noticed that there was no wreckage indicating destroyed starships anywhere in the system. Their quarry had left long before they had even set out.

After decades of searching the Alteran gave up, they had experiments to run and lives to live. They had no concerns about a possible new enemy surfacing and even if they did they were confident in their Navy and technological superiority to ensure a victory.

After almost sixty million years, their own arrogance had caught up with them and was about to prove them fatally wrong.

It started with a few missing ships, mainly transport and unarmed research vessels. But soon that all escalated into outright skirmishes with massive eleven kilometre long organic-metallic warships. Now the Alteran warships proved victorious in each engagement with this mysterious new enemy, never losing a warship or a single life. But as the battles grew in size and number they ultimately proved to be nothing more than a distraction against their enemies true purpose.

Whole worlds were being scoured of life, the people being harvested and used as food for the growing threat of this new enemy. Naturally the Alteran people were outraged and horrified, calling upon the High Council to save their people from this horrific fate. The Council - despite their best efforts - could not locate a home world or base of operations for this illusive enemy, and were left with one course of action. Diplomacy at all costs.

Along with a detachment of battlecruisers, an attaché of diplomats were deployed to the battlefront in the hopes of reaching a ceasefire.

Once again the arrogance of the Alteran people reared its ugly head, having arrived at the forefront of the battle against this new foe the diplomatic vessel and its escorts boldly jumped between a group of what were being coined as _Hiveships_ by the military commanders and began broadcasting immediately, hoping to stop the fighting before it truly became a war.

Onboard the lead _Hiveship_ a female with shocking red hair smiled viciously as the holographic form of the Alteran Ambassador pleaded for a ceasefire. With a mental command she closed her eyes in bliss; for the moment they had been waiting for had come, a single moment of weakness.

That innocuous mental command sounded the death knell for the Alteran race, all over the galaxy dozens upon dozens of _Hiveships_ exited hyperspaceat strategic points to lay siege to countless Alteran worlds.

And so began the one hundred year war.

As the years passed the Alteran people diminished in number and power, forced to either Ascend or retreat back to Atlantis, leaving the less advanced human populations of Pegasus to their fate. After almost a hundred years of war Atlantis was at breaking point, though the Alteran had technology to ensure they could withstand any siege no matter how long or aggressive the truth of the matter was apparent.

They were weary of war.

A decision needed to be made. Do they continue fighting? Or do they once again flee into the unknown regions of the universe. The answer was in fact three-fold, a few thousand Alteran chose to Ascend leaving behind a life of strife and war. Yet more Alteran chose to return to the Avalon galaxy, believing that they could start a new life on Terra and reclaim their empire.

For the remaining twelve million Alteran the choice was rather obvious, in another universe their choice may have been to Ascend or perhaps return to Terra and start afresh. So with that train of thought the most renowned scientists still among them came up with a daring plan; escape to another universe.

Now the logical among them rightly pointed out the dangers of travelling to another reality, namely Entropic Cascade Failure, for if they had any counterparts in this new reality all their effort in getting there would have been for naught.

So using technology based on their peoples old invention known as the Reality Mirror, they devised a much improved version, one that could tell them if the reality they were interested in held any life similar enough to risk ECF. After almost a year of stress and struggles the remaining Alteran had succeeded, they had built a device capable of transporting them to their chosen reality via ship – specifically Atlantis.

The universe they has chosen held no Alteran, Ori or Human life with a temporal displacement of roughly twenty-five thousand years behind their home universe. This universe held all the elements and materials needed for their civilisation to recover and flourish, along with a curious abundance of dark matter.

Having installed the device and gathered all the necessary supplies to ensure a successful start to their new life, the Alteran once again fired up the stardrive and lifted off from the surface of their home, blasting through the atmosphere, and barrelling through the _Hiveship_ blockade before vanishing in a blinding flash of light.

In another universe, above a planet devoid of any sentient life a simultaneous flash of light heralded the arrival of a vast cityship twenty kilometres in diameter. Coming to a jarring halt fifty thousand kilometres above the northern pole of this realities Lantea, the cityship Atlantis span slowly, protected by her transparent yet impenetrable shield while the Alteran people planned the next step in the rise to their former glory.

The newly elected High Council convened in the council chambers, located in the central spire of Atlantis it also housed the main legislative personnel of the Alteran people. For this meeting the High Council wished to make a drastic change to the way the Alteran moved forward with their society, starting with the way they disseminated information to the general populace.

Broadcasting their meeting across Atlantis was the first step in this new path, allowing everyone to see and cast votes to each and every plan they proposed.

As the High Council began the opening introductions of this auspicious meeting, a young child sat with his mother in their shared quarters, in one of the many residential towers on the east pier. The young man had shoulder-length blonde hair and curious periwinkle coloured eyes that were glued to the holographic forms of the High Council as they debated their next course of action. He briefly turned to his mother whose eyes were narrowed in thought while she absently picked at her nails.

Sighing in a way only a child could he flopped back onto the bed he was perched upon and cast his eyes onto the metallic ceiling, letting the discussion was over him.

"Mother" he called, "what's going to happen now?" he blew some hair out of his face in frustration. _It's just so bloody long now_ , he though to himself.

Continuing before his mother could answer he asked another question. "Are we going to settle back on Lantea, or fly back to Avalon and settle on Terra?". He looked at his mother hopefully, he had always been fascinated with the former Alteran capital world.

His mother smiled fondly at her only child and ruffled his hair, startling a high pitched shriek out of his otherwise mature demeanour. "Well Thessarin, I would think that as this universe supposedly doesn't contain any being or race we know of, we would head back to Terra. According to the scientific reports Avalon seems rather devoid of sentient life at this time and the High Council wanted to investigate it either way". Here Claris blew out a frustrated breath, "it's my hope that the High Council use the mistakes of the past as the warnings they were meant to serve, our arrogance has forced our people to flee to another universe little star" she locked eyes with her son who looked so much like his father, but with her hair. _Thank goodness for that_ she thought gleefully, _his father had such a rats nest._

"We can't afford to repeat those mistakes" she said tiredly, before focusing back on the broadcast.

Thessarin himself didn't fully understand all that his mother spoke of but he reasoned that as his mother worked as a senior scientist in the _Helioseismology_ department she knew what she was talking about. _Mother said that Helioseismology was the studying of stars I think._ He shook his head to rid himself of absent thoughts and continued to watch the broadcast with his mother.

It seemed to be coming to a close from what his ten year old mind could tell, he didn't know their names but the Council men and women were indeed stating that they would be heading back to Avalon, to once again make Terra their home.

Thessarin turned to his mother and smiled happily while he shouted gleefully to himself _._ _We're going to Terra! I can't believe it._

In the coming months the senior members of the Alteran government, along with the High Council and a select few scientists devised a plan. First they colonised Terra, noting how due to continental drift their previous landing site for the greatest cityship ever built was no longer viable, having drifted over millions of years to the south pole of the planet. So they settled for one of the more temperate zones of the planet, effortlessly landing the several billion tonne city on top of the ocean, off the shores of the second largest continent that now dominated their former capital world.

Secondly they set about establishing military outposts on the moon and the fourth planet in the system, followed by the construction of shipyards above Terra and the second planet closest to Sol. All four facilities began work immediately, the shipyards built warships and patrol ships for the military personnel and the Navy soon set about patrolling Sol, still rightfully paranoid after barely escaping destruction at the hands of the Wraith.

Once the logistics of each facility were handed off to their respective heads of departments or commanders, the High Council decreed a period of mourning for those lost in the Alteran-Wraith war. The countless human lives used as a food source and their fellow Alteran who could not escape to Atlantis in time were to be remembered as a warning, a warning that in their own arrogance and apathy they let a dangerous enemy come to power and bring an entire galaxy to its knees.

As the grief settled a growing anger rose up within the general populace, fanned by the knowledge that not all lives were lost to violence. In fact a great deal of anger was felt towards the Ascended beings of two galaxies, who had the power to step in and wipe out the Wraith with but a simple gesture of will.

The High Council, hearing the resentment and fury at their Ascended brethren, decided to use that anger to bring about change. On the six month anniversary of arriving in this new universe they decreed that no longer would the Alteran people isolate themselves from any of the less advanced races, they were adamant that they would still not allow any interference in a species' natural development, but once a species reached a sufficient technological and cultural understanding they would reach out the hand of friendship, or they would smite them back to the stone age should they prove hostile to the other races of the galaxy. Should a race be in danger of extinction, either by natural disaster or their own doing, they would step in and help in whatever way they felt would do the most good.

Many were pleased by this decree, it gave the Alteran people a purpose after a century of hiding behind the shield of Atlantis. But others were wary, wary of the path this could lead the Alteran down. For they were told stories as a child, stories of the wicked Ori and how through manipulation and interfering with lesser races they hunted the Alteran down, branding them as Heretics.

To combat this the High Council ordered the release of what little information they had about the Ori and the very first people to call themselves 'The Others'. Broadcasting the only video file out across the Sol system the High Council pleaded with their people to cease doubting their own feelings and embrace this daring plan.

 **Ortis Mallum Region – 59,990,002 BRS (Before Reality Shift)**

A group of men and women debate in a cave. They are surrounded by books, candles, and various bits of machinery.

 _"We cannot hide our ways any longer". Spoke a middle aged man to the group._

" _Nor should we. The Ori have amassed armies and move to destroy us. Everything we believe, all we are, is an affront to them. They will stop at nothing to destroy every last shred of evidence that opposes their fanaticism". Counters Amelius harshly._

" _We have no choice. We have tried to argue reason". The woman to his left interjects softly._

" _We can fight. Use what we know to oppose them". The same middle aged man speaks resignedly, a look of weariness plastered across his face._ " _We are so few compared to them". An older woman opposite Amelius states in concern, glancing between each member of the group worriedly._ " _The Ark can change everything". Amelius reiterates stubbornly._ " _Is forced indoctrination really the answer? You would deny the Ori the very essence of self. It is no different than the murder they propose". Again the woman to Amelius' left speaks up, this time with a vehemence not seen in her for years._ " _The only moral way to change someone's mind" here the middle aged man gestured forcefully, "make them see the truth, as you put it - is to present evidence"._ " _We believe in the systematic understanding of the physical world through observation and experimentation" the older woman began, her words building with confidence and surety as she went on, "through argument and debate, but, most of all, freedom of will. I will not compromise the fundamental tenants of my devotion in order to preserve it". Here she cast her eyes over the entire group, daring anyone to oppose her._ _Then the middle aged man turned and addressed Amelius directly. "We acknowledge the incredible potential of the technology of the Ark"._ " _And the danger such power presents". Interjected the older woman, a clear note of warning in her voice. "It will not be used as a weapon against the Ori. The debate on the issue is closed". The finality in the middle aged man's statement was impossible to miss._

Amelius, disappointed, turns to the open Ark beside him. He closes the lid.

There is a shocked silence throughout the Sol system for hours after watching the High Councils most closely guarded secret, before an eruption of calls demanding an explanation sprang forth, straining the communication systems heavily.

The High Council decide that honesty is the best way forward and divulge that back at the beginning of their cultural split, the Ori were so superior in the numbers that conventional warfare was out of the question. So the fledgling Alteran people frantically tried to find a solution to the problem, a problem which was solved by none other than Amelius, the inventor of the Astria Porta.

With his Ark of Truth he intended to essentially brainwash the Ori, and their followers into believing the fundamental truth of the universe, as the reason for the cultural split was heavily entrenched upon the origin of the universe, and all life within it. Naturally the invention caused disquiet among his fellow rebels, who felt that as they were being persecuted for their beliefs it would be considered sacrilege to forcefully convert the Ori to their way of thinking, even if it was closer to the actual truth.

The High Council made their point by simply stating that although they wished to interact with the races of this galaxy, they would never allow the Alteran people to become what they feared most; the Ori. Their wish being to change their race from isolationistic scholars to guides for the younger races, helping them to explore and discover the mysteries of the universe. They also wanted to ensure that no evil could ever rise against them or the other benevolent races of the galaxy.

After weeks of debate across the system a consensus was achieved. The Alteran people accepted the proposed plan, to become guardians and guides to the races of the Avalon galaxy in perpetuity. Others enquired whether Ascension would continue to be a goal for the Alteran people or the other races of the galaxy, but the High Council pointed out that it was the single-minded obsession with Ascension that brought about so much ruin and destruction to their people. For now their wish was for the Alteran to remain corporeal, only living an extremely extended lifespan as a compromise.

Centuries pass and the Alteran had taken to their new purpose as guardians of sentient life by the horns, growing in numbers and expanding influence through colonies all throughout the Sol system and its neighbouring solar systems.

In their expansion they soon discover ancient technological artefacts, one being a base of some sort on the fourth planet in Sol, another being a massive tuning fork shaped device almost as long as Atlantis was wide, orbiting a planetoid at the edge of the solar system. Both were soon crawling with scientists and engineers eager to divine the secrets of this ancient technology.

It is quickly made apparent that although the base and device share the same technological tree so to speak, they are vastly different in terms of advancement and age. The device at the edge of the system, dated using the most advanced quantum analysis available revealed its age to be over seven hundred million years old, while the base turned out to be a mere sixteen thousand years old.

After numerous experiments the scientists manage to activate what was being dubbed as a virtual intelligence located in the computer core of the base. Surprisingly the race who consructed this base built to last, as the VI was fully functional.

Coming to a decision the scientists activated a program on his personal computer with a thought, hoping to communicate without the tedious miming his colleague was planning to do.

Tilting his head ever so slightly he spoke. "Greetings, my name is Phoebus what's your name?". As he asked this question he sent a translation file to the VI, easily bypassing its protective systems. _There's no need to waste time miming like an idiot to a bloody dumb AI._

The VI returned the tilt of the head, likely believing it was a greeting of sorts before responding. "Greetings Phoebus, I am Vengeance. What is the name of your species? You resemble the primitive race my creators were observing on the third planet in this system, but they were wiped out by a series of asteroid impacts several thousand years ago". He shrugged before continuing, "my scans have revealed that although there is a similarity in your DNA your people are far more advanced biologically to be them".

Phoebus blinked stupidly for a moment, his mind running through thoughts at a furious pace. _The scans of this universe were absolute, there were no Alteran, Ori or Human signatures so how would humans have evolved without our peoples input?!_

Shaking his head determinedly he responded to the VI before him. "We are known as Alteran, and for our similarity we are unsure, our people have travelled a great distance to get here and we know of no other race at this time. You're the first piece of evidence that hints to alien life in this galaxy that we've found". _At least in this universe anyway._

"Where are your creators? It's obvious that this facility though well made has been abandoned for millennia". Phoebus was fascinated and eager to learn all he could about this illusive race.

Here the VI seemed to sag, showing a surprising amount of emotion for such a simple program. "My creators were known as the Protheans, and the reason for their disappearance is this" he gestured with his holographic, chitinous arm conjuring an image of what looked like an aquatic creature of some kind, before the annotations surrounded the creature translated themselves into Alteran.

The scientists gaped in shock, looking upon what they now could see was a two kilometre starship shaped like a cuttlefish of Terra.

Vengeance continued uncaring of their gaping, "my creators called them The Reapers, massive artificial intelligences-cum-starships whose sole reason for existence is to harvest all organic life across the galaxy in what they call Ascension. They scoured the galaxy using their Mass Relays and their Citadel, luring the Protheans into a technological trap to ensure an easier harvest. They did the same to the Inusannon fifty thousand years before the Protheans, and they did the same to the species before that, a cycle of extinction masqueraded as preservation and ascension".


	2. Secrets, Lies and the Cycle Eternal

**AN: Greetings folks, and welcome to yet another story of mine. This idea has been percolating in my brain for _years_. Hopefully I can do it justice. Reviews are love, and feed my ego. Also, please bear with the formatting. I work on OpenOffice and it doesn't like to play ball.**

 **Chapter 2**

 **Secrets, Lies and the Cycles Eternal**

Phoebus stood there, facing down a revelation that if true, could force his people to flee once again. _We cannot flee! To do so would make us no better than the Ori!_

"Vengeance, what kind of numbers can we expect? And how far into this Cycle are we?" he asked determinedly, desperate to provide the High Council with as much information as possible.

Vengeance gestured again, replacing the Reaper with invasion statistics before replying. "At their height the Prothean Empire consisted of almost four hundred worlds, with each world protected by extensive orbital defence platform networks. We had over seventy-five thousand warships of varying sizes and specifications with at least thirty thousand equipped with particle weapons as standard". He lets loose a sigh, "We were crushed within three centuries, with only scattered remnants that soon died out or went into stasis".

Phoebus was about to interrupt when Vengeance answered his second question, "We are currently sixteen thousand years into this cycle, with approximately thirty-four thousand left before Arrival".

 _Thirty-four thousand years... Okay, we can work with that. Numbers aren't everything, especially if we have chance to prepare._ Phoebus shook himself, glancing to his fellow scientists who all nodded their agreement. They would follow his lead.

"Okay Vengeance, please send over all data you have on these Reapers. I and my team need to speak with our High Council, they may also want to speak with you at some point".

The ancient VI nodded solemnly, "very well, I shall be here". And with that he disappeared, but not before Phoebus' personal computer registered a file download.

Phoebus briskly turned to his colleagues, "Lets get back to Atlantis, the High Council are going to shit themselves over this and I for one want to see it". He let loose a macabre chuckle at the looks his fellow scientists threw at him.

 _Things are about to get a lot more dark and twisted from here on out ladies and gentlemen, a little humour never hurt anybody._

* * *

Over on the opposite side of the solar system the ACB _Constantia_ was acting as guard to several science vessels who were currently examining the massive tuning fork shaped construct at the edge of the solar system. Captain Dux was currently trying not to strangle his Academic counterpart.

"There's no chance in hell that I'm going to let you just try and activate an unknown piece of alien technology! Have you lost all sense?" Dux was pacing agitatedly across the expansive bridge of the _Constantia,_ arms clasped firmly behind his back. Ever the consummate professional, that didn't stop him from expressing his opinion when someone was about to do something monumentally stupid.

"Yes, it could be something as innocuous as a communications hub. But it has the same amount of likelihood to be a bloody massive star-killer, I mean just look at it!" The Captain, using his three centuries of experience managed to reign in his temper. _It would do me know good to murder this pissant in a fit of rage, however justifiable it may seem at this time._

The lead scientist however, was undeterred. "Captain, we need to know what this device does, what it is truly capable of. My department has so far determined that at the core between those rings is a massive lump of matter that exudes dark energy on a scale our people have never before seen or documented! This could be revolutionary in the field of dark matter, and you would halt this discovery on some paranoid knee jerk reaction?!"

Here Nixus scoffed disparagingly, "where's your sense of adventure?"

Dux stopped pacing for a moment, before calmly turning to face Nixus. "My 'sense of adventure' is right here Nixus, but unlike you I know when to keep mine locked away". Turning away from his life-long friend and rival Dux stalked to the comms hub, pressing the button to summon the High Council.

He waited for all of fifteen seconds before his call was answered. _They must be busy today._

In a golden shimmer of light all seven Councillors appeared before him, shocking the normally composed man into a gasp. _All seven? This can't be a coincidence._

He looked at the serious expressions on all seven faces before he locked eyes with the woman in the centre; High Councillor Lamia Sal. "High Councillor, we have something to report".

"What is it Captain Dux? Have you discovered the purpose of this device?" Questioned Lamia, her eyes now focusing on a miniature version of said device floating above the sensor console. The Captain sighed quietly before responding, "All we know High Councillor is that the device utilises a core of solid dark matter or something close to it. We haven't had any luck accessing computer systems of any kind, Nixus wants to attempt to bring it online but-"

"Then do so Captain" interrupted Lamia brusquely, "time is no longer with us. I'm sending you a data packet with everything we've learned from the base on Parabellum. And Captain, it's not good". Nodding to both men the High Council disappeared in a flash of light as the communication was cut.

Captain Dux and Nixus both gathered round the nearest console, eyes flashing through the most pertinent points of data, each point caused them to pale the more they read before finally they rocked back on their heels, looked at each other seriously before Nixus spoke.

"Well, shit".

It took seven days before they managed to activate what they now knew was called a Mass Relay, they tried everything they could think of before they finally resorted to trawling through the Prothean data to see how they managed it. It turned out the answer was alarmingly simple.

All they had to do was send a signal, a small innocuous piece of code that the Protheans discovered from the Inusannon, who in turn were assumed to have discovered it from the race before them. With the information now available to them they knew it was an obvious trap, but with all traps the best way to defeat them is to spring them. And that's exactly what the Alteran intended to do.

It took several hours for the Mass Relay to come online, after sixteen thousand years of inactivity it was surprising that it didn't in fact take longer. Once fully functioning the scientists and military personnel all had to admit that it looked very impressive, the core alight with an eerie blue glow, a by-product of the massive gravitational forces only held in check by two equally massive elliptical rings.

According to the Prothean data it was only possible for a ship to travel through a Relay intact if they could generate their own mass effect field. So it was decided that a probe would be built with its own mass effect core to scout the opposite end of the Relay. It only took a few hours to fabricate using Prothean blueprints as a base, though they added a self-destruct protocol and a subspace communication hub to allow for instant data transfer.

With bated breath Nixus instructed the probe to start recording before sending it towards the largest transportation device his people had ever seen. With an agility only matched by their drone weapons, the probe sped towards the Relay rapidly, not even pausing to scan the device. Once within a few hundred metres of the core it sent the needed signal for transportation, the Relay responded almost instantly by lancing out with a bolt of dark energy, forcibly propelling the probe in a flash of blue light.

On the ACB _Constantia_ both Nixus and Captain Dux watched, eyes glued to the holo-projection as the probes-eye view of real-space FTL blurred back into normal space-time after barely two seconds. Nixus blinked in shock. _Not as fast as wormhole travel, but still depending on how far the twin relay is will make all the difference... now lets see, thirty-six light years! But that's barely a quarter of a seconds travel at top speed for an Aurora-class._

As the data streamed in the probe continued its exploration of the system it now found itself in, triangulating its position before locating another eleven Relays in the next few hours. All of them dormant. After surveying the star, which it identified as Arcturus using the database on the _Constantia_ , the probe took basic scans of the planets within the solar system before heading back through the Relay to Sol. Bringing back more questions to the crews of the science flotilla than the answers it provided them.

* * *

It had no true designation, but the few organics of the many cycles who discovered its existence referred to it as the Catalyst. It was a good a name as any other, so it took it for its own.

The Catalyst remained dormant between the end of one cycle and the first activation of a Relay, but it knew instantly that when it was awoken by the activation of Relay 319 towards the galactic south, that it was far earlier than any other cycle before this one. The Protheans held the record, activating their first Relay some thirty-eight thousand years into their cycle.

It had only been sixteen thousand years this time.

 _No matter,_ it thought _. Extra time to prepare meant little in the long run, all organic life succumbed to preservation and ascension in the end._

Examining the logs of the activated Relay was all the moment of a thought. All the Catalyst could tell was that a small object, most likely a probe passed through the secondary Relay where it returned after several hours. More than likely scouting the system. _All organics are the same, always predictable in their actions and reactions._

Firing off a signal to the Vanguard it allowed itself to feel a small amount of satisfaction. _Perhaps this cycle will be different. Or perhaps not, only time will tell._

* * *

As like most days the Central spire of Atlantis was a bustling hive of activity, administrative staff ran day-to-day operations, that ensured the entire governmental pyramid didn't collapse around their ears. Then you had the legislative staff, who balanced proposed laws against the needs and wants of the Alteran people, which was always a tricky job. They tended to work very closely with both the Science department and the Judicial Branch as well, ensuring no overzealous scientist overstepped there bounds and blew up a solar system... well at least not a second one.

But at the top of all this efficiency and hard work sits a room, a room that had once been loaded up with the most advanced anti-infiltration devices and soundproofing known to Alteran-kind, a room that now sat bare with all its protections stripped back and replaced with broadcasting equipment.

The Alteran High Council was now in session. Publicly.

It was a political move unlike any other that had come before it, the High Council truly wanted the people to know and have opinions on the decisions made within this room. For they knew that not everyone was made out to be a politician, but not a single Alteran was ever called stupid. At least, not to their face. The High Council also realised that they had a limited point of view, which while expanded upon by advisers and experts in every field still fell short of a critical need. The need to... think outside of the box. With every extra mind put towards a problem you will be sure to experience an overlap of ideas, but there will always be a portion of ideas that no one other person would have ever thought of.

That was the High Councils hope, their desire for a progressive and open empire that would no longer stagnate on its ancestors achievements. But instead bring new life and new ideas to the table. Starting with the Reapers. They had plans for the genocidal AI race, plans that relied heavily on playing on the Reapers expectations of organics, organics that have sang to their technological tune since before the Alteran had even existed.

They never said it would be an easy plan, but all the grand ones never are.

Broadcasting once again across Sol, the citizens of the newly re-established Alteran Empire were shocked to their very core. The holo-projections of the High Council spoke with zeal, about a grand plan to ensure the survival of the many races yet to escape from the surface of their home worlds. To protect them from the machinations of synthetic beings with ideas above their station, purporting their twisted version of Ascension upon the mortal races. To teach them about the wonders of the universe, the many mysteries embedded in the very fabric of space-time itself.

To do all of this, they needed the help of the people. Whether that help was as humble as an opinion, or as life changing as military service, they would accept whatever the Alteran people were willing to give. For they were done with running, done with chasing the ideal situation in which their people could thrive without having to actually fight for it, as they had done for the past sixty million years. They wanted the Alteran people to rise beyond the idea of Ascension, beyond the limitations of galaxies. What they wanted was to be invincible, eternal. But most of all they wanted to reach out a hand of friendship without wondering whether that hand was about to get bitten off. They wanted equals in this new universe, and they were determined to find them.

The broadcast ended to the sounds of rapturous applause of millions of people and the _pingpingping_ of the unanimous vote to endorse this new venture.

* * *

In his apartment that he no longer shared with his mother, Thessarin cast his agreeing vote to this new plan. Vowing to himself and his mother that he would be at the forefront of this plan, one way or another. He was yet to reach his third century of life, but already the higher-ups were taking notice of his work ethic and drive to improve his fellow crew members aboard the ACB _Infinitas._

 _Hopefully, I'll be Captain of my own ship one day. A new class of ship as well, not those old ACB relics._ Sighing to himself Thessarin tied his hair in a messy knot atop his head, walking out of his room he grabbed the twin practice swords by the door as well as the stun-pistol from the bedside table before making his way to the communal training areas.

It was time for him to get serious. No more coasting through physical training, less time spent hungover after a weekend of too much drinking. He needed to focus if he was ever going to captain a ship sometime within the next century or so, he wasn't a prodigy like the revered Captain Dux, Thessarin had to scrape and drag his arse through the academy at every turn. His mother claimed he was bored too easily, and she would be right about that. Thessarin wanted to jump right about a ship the day he turned sixteen, but the law states that to serve aboard a military vessel you need to attend the Navy Academy for at least a century.

Which was all bullshit in Thessarin's humble opinion but rules were rules, and he wasn't about to jeopardize his career prospects by kicking up a fuss over a century. Odds were he'd live to well over ten-thousand, that's without taking further gene modification into account. Or the risky business of Ascension. So he had time to spare, but not so much time that he wanted to risk missing out on first-contact with another species. It'd been over a hundred thousand years since his people had last made peaceful contact with another species, that had been with the Vanir, who were technically traitors charged with sedition at the time.

 _I can just see it now..._ though Thessarin wistfully. _First contact made with a completely alien race, with different cultures and different values. Will they be homogeneous or will they be like us? With different skin tones and facial features, will they even have faces?! So many possibilities! Hell what if they're attractive? That'll certainly light a fire under the more isolationistic of us._

Thessarin continued to daydream while staring out of the window, looking out upon an overcast sky and misty shoreline, imagining purple beaches and green skies. Trees made of crystal and aliens with backward knees of all didn't matter to him, he just wanted to explore, to see and to know everything.

* * *

"Nixus! We've got new orders from the High Council". Said Captain Dux as he strode onto the bridge of the _Constantia._

Nixus slowly pulled his attention away from the still scrolling data forwarded from the Prothean Archive, "What orders Captain? Are we to send a manned scout through the Relay?" He sounded tired, his eyes were starting to strong from looking at the same information over and over again. But he couldn't pull himself away.

 _The technology base is just so... backwards._ He thought to himself. _To change the mass of something simply by passing either a positively or negatively charged electrical current through an impossible element seems so... dare I say it, fictional. Like a storyteller who only has a passing interest in thermodynamics and decided not to include the part where this should all be impossible. If you want viable real-space FTL just bend space-time around the ship and be done with it._

Nixus was forced from his rambling diatribe against this particular universes fundamental physics by Dux's fingers snapping not two centimetres from his face.

"Oh, sorry Captain my mind just keeps getting lodged on scientific impossibilities. Don't mind me". Nixus unsuccessfully bit back a yawn, an action that didn't go unnoticed by Dux.

Dux frowned minutely before lifting his subordinates chin slightly. "When did you last get any sleep Nixus? Don't tell me it was before the mission because that was over 37 hours ago!" he sounded worried even to his own ears and stepped back immediately. "I'll give you a brief rundown on what's going to be happening in the next few days and then you are going to get some sleep for at least the next ten hours, not arguments" he stated seriously. A murmured "yes captain" was the response.

"Twelve hours from now our Flotilla will jump to Arcturus via hyperspace, before we begin construction of mass effect cores for each and every ship in the flotilla. The intention behind this is to allow us to map the Relay system in the immediate area surround Sol. Unfortunately it will have to be done manually, as the Protheans, in a moment of tactical genius wiped every known Relay from their computer systems galaxy-wide in an effort to slow the Reaper advance". Here he sighed sadly.

"It only bought them a few years at most". Shaking his head he continued briefing the exhausted scientist.

"While exploring we are to actively scout for any sentient species whether they're spacefaring or not, it doesn't matter. If they are then we are expected to establish contact, if the species is still gravity bound then we are to release the real-time observer satellites, have them phase-shift to prevent any collisions and move on to the next system. As we reach each Relay system a single ship will perform a short range jump into hyperspace for a quarter second, to map out the maximum distance of eezo based FTL according to the Prothean Archive, that should give us enough room to find any potential stragglers".

"..right" Nixus muttered. "We're essentially going to ever so slowly uplift the other races and watch out for Reaper activity at the same time" he snorted. "Sounds delightful".

"We're not uplifting anyone" refuted Dux. "We are to only establish contact if the species in question has achieved viable spacefaring technology. By that point they should be at least culturally peaceful enough and wise enough not to try and blast us into pieces. It wouldn't end well for them if they did something so monumentally idiotic" Dux let loose a snort of his own at that scenario. _Idiotic indeed, drones have always been a good deterrent._

"Right, you" Dux pulled his friend out of his seat. "Bed. I won't have the only person I can trust around here not to blow up a Mass Relay falling asleep on the job".

The Captain looked down slightly when his oldest friend didn't even bother to fire back an acerbic barb before smiling softly. _He's actually fallen asleep while being dragged back to his quarters. The lazy bastard, always getting me to do the heavy lifting. Literally it seems._

Smiling to himself once more the Captain couldn't help but wonder what was on the horizon for his crew, his friend or his people in the coming years. They were certainly starting to get exciting.

 _Nothing like the threat of annihilation to bring out the best of a species I suppose._

* * *

The next day, precisely twelve hours and point two-five seconds later found the Scout Flotilla exiting hyperspace at the edge of the Arcturus system, all thirty ships spreading out into a standard defensive formation.

Captain Dux stood with Head Scientist Nixus aboard the ACB _Constantia_ about to give the order to begin construction.

"All vessel" spoke Dux with supreme confidence, "begin construction. Once all mass effect cores have been installed power down your hyperdrives and pass through the easternmost Relay. Once on the other side assume formation and wait for my command, Dux out".

Turning slightly he addressed the now well rested scientist to his right, "Are you ready to make history?"

Nixus smirked, "Naturally Captain, naturally".


End file.
